Device for preserving cut flowers



0d. 19, 1954 M, EHLERS, 5 2,691,849

DEVICE FOR PRESERVING CUT FLOWERS Filed Aug. 24, 1950 ATTORNEYS.

Patented Oct. 19, 1954 UNITED STATES ram 1 Claim.

This invention has to do with a device for prolonging the life of cut flowers and is directed particularly to the provision of novel means for application to the stems of cut flowers which are to be made up into floral arrangements wherein the stems cannot be placed in a vase, floral basket or other such container.

In recent years it has become the practice for florists, when making up floral sprays, floral blankets and other like arrangements employing cut flowers, to insert the stem of each flower into a small flexible tube of balloon-like construction and filled with water, whereupon the neck of the balloon is wrapped with a length of soft, bendable wire which serves to bind the neck of the tube about the stem of the flower. The flexible tubes, commonly known in the art as stem tubes, finger tubes, or simply balloons, thus provide for the retention of small amounts of Water at the bottom of each stem and hence serve to prolong the life of the flowers in the same manner as if they were placed in a vase. The individual flowers after the water filled tubes have been affixed, may be readily handled and worked into floral arrangements in the usual manner, the water filled tubes being camouflaged and hidden from view by the greens, such as fern, huckleberry, plumosis, or the like going to make up the finished piece.

The stem tubes now known and used by the art are, however, objectionable in that a considerable amount of labor is involved in fitting the stems into the tubes and then tightly wrapping them with wire to seal the necks oi the tubes to the stems. In addition to the time involved, the proper lengths of soft, bendable wire must be provided which, of course, is an added expense to the florist over and above the cost of the stem tubes themselves. Another objection to the use of wire to bind the tubes tothe stems is that if the wire is wound too tightly, it will cut into the stems to the extent of either breaking them oii completely or breaking them to the extent that the water in the tube cannot be drawn up into the stem so as to be useful tothe flower. On the other hand, if the wire is wound too loosely, it will not seal the tube to the stem and hence the water in the tube will leak out.

It is to the overcoming of these disadvantages as well as others which will be mentioned hereinafter or which will be apparent to one skilled in the art upon reading this specification that the present invention is directed.

It is a principal object of my invention to provide a stem tube for out flowers and the like which may be applied to the stem and maintained in tight gripping contact therewith without the use of wire or other separate binding means.

It is another object of my invention to provide a stem tube formed of flexible or elastic material and comprising a body portion for the retention of a small amount of water and a neck portion for gripping engagement with the stem of a flower, the said neck portion being provided with integral gripping means for maintaining the tube in tight, leak-proof association with the stem.

Yet another object of my invention is the provision of a stem tube which may be associated with a stem simply by inserting the stem into the neck of the tube and. then turning or twist" ing the tube until the proper length of the stem is enclosed in the tube and in contact with the water therein.

Still another object of my invention is the provision of a stem tube the neck of which is provided with a plurality of annular gripping members, said members being elongated in crosssection and inwardly and downwardly directed to provide annular barbs which will resist the withdrawal of the stem as well as grip it tightly.

These objects as well as others which will be set forth hereinafter or will be apparent to one skilled in the art, I accomplish by that certain construction and arrangement of parts of which I shall now describe exemplary embodiments. Reference is made to the accompanying drawings wherein:

Figure 1 is an elevational view of one form of my stem tube in association with the stem of a flower.

Figure 2 is a cross sectional view of the stern tube taken along the line 22 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is an elevational view of the form employed to make stem tubes in accordance with my invention.

Figure 4 is a cross sectional, elevational View of a modified form of stem tube neck.

Figure 5 is a cross sectional, elevational view of a tube neck applied to a stem and peeled back in accordance with my invention.

Figure 6 is an elevational, cross sectional view of a modified tube neck incorporating a con voluted gripping member.

Figure '7 is also a cross-sectional elevation showing another modified neck construction in which the annular gripping members are barbed.

Referring now to Figure 1, the reference numeral l indicates the stem of a flower in ass0ci- 3 ation with the stem tube 2, the stem tube 2 comprising a body portion 3 having a closed end 4 and terminating at its opposite end in a neck 5.

As can be best seen in Figure 2, the neck of the tube is provided with a plurality of annular gripping members such as the constrictions 6, 1, 8, 9, I0, and H spaced therealong and terminates in the lip or roll l2. The annular members or constrictions 6 through H are integrally formed with the neck of the tube and form thickened portions extending inwardly thereof for gripping engagement with the stem I, as will be readily seen in the drawing. The body 3 of the tube is, of course, filled with water 13, or one of the preservative solutions well-known to the trade. The stem tube is formed from flexible or elastic material, rubber being preferred. Where rubber is to be used as the tube forming material, the tubes may be produced by means of the form Hi shown in Figure 3 of the drawings. The form M is of the type well-known in the balloon-making and other kindred arts, excepting that the neck portion 15 is provided with a plurality of annular grooves H5, [7, l8, l9, 2i! and 21 which will form the annular members 6 through i l of the finished tube. The tube is formed by dipping the form H in liquid latex to secure a coating thereon followed by setting and curing in the manner wellknown to the balloon-making art. When the form is dipped in the liquid latex, the latex will build up in the grooves it through 2! to provide thickened bands in those areas which are. the annular rings or constructions in the finished product. While I have described my stem tube as being preferably made of rubber, it will be understood that other flexible or elastic material may be employed without departing from the spirit of my invention. Likewise, the entire tube need not be elastic or flexible, such materials being confined to the neck or tothe gripping means with the neck In Figure 4 I have shown a modification of my invention in which the neck 22 is of tapered configuration, tapering from a wider portion at its mouth or lip 23 to a narrower portion at its base 24 adjacent the body 25. The annular members 26 through 3| in this case decrease in circumference in accordance with the taper of the neck. This construction makes it easier to insert the stems into the tubes by providing what might be termed a funnel for guiding the stems into the tubes. Furthermore, the arrangement is such that it will accept stems of considerable variance in circumference, providing one or more rings or constrictions which will grip a stern of a given size.

Where the necks of the tubes are substantially cylindrical in configuration, as in Figure 2, I contemplate providing tubes of various sizes to accommodate various sizes of stems. However, this does not mean that there must be provided a difierent tube for each different size stem. If a particular tube is somewhat larger than the stem, as illustrated in Figure 5 wherein the neck 33 is somewhat larger than the stem 32, I contemplate peeling back a portion at least of the neck as indicated generally at 34. When the neck peeled back in the manner illustrated, the various gripping members will interlock or overlap with the resultant tightness against the stem indicated at 35, thereby producing the necessary tightness of 4 grip to prevent the water or other liquid from leaking out of the tube. This may be done either with the cylindrical tube 'of Figure 2 or with the tapered tube of Figure 4, if so desired.

In Figure 6 of the drawings, I have illustrated another modification of my invention in which the gripping means, instead of being separate and spaced apart annular members, is in the form of a helical member 38 extending from one end of the neck to the other- This arrangement, in addition to giving a good gripping action, readily permitsthe stem to be inserted into the tube, simply by turning the tube and in effect screwing the stem into it. I have found, however, that this same turning or screwing effect will be obtained with the annular gripping means shown in Figures 2 and 4, as well as with the helix shown in Figure 6.

Figure 7 of the drawings illustrates yet another modification of my invention in which the annular gripping members 37 through. 4! are elongated in cross-section and downwardly and inwardly directed to provide barbs which in addition to their gripping action, also serve to resist the withdrawal of the stem from the neck of the tube. This arrangement also permits a single tube size to be used with a relatively wide range of stem sizes, the barbs being depressible outwardly against the walls of the tube neck to accommodate stems of varying sizes.

Modifications may be made in my invention without departing from the spirit of it. Having, however, described my invention in certain exemplary embodiments, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

In a stem tube for preserving cut flowers, a hollow liquid receiving elastic cylindrical body terminating at its upper end in an integrally formed elongated elastic neck of reduced diameter and of a size toreceive the stem of a flower, a plurality of inwardly extending annular gripping elements spaced apart along the inner surface of said neck for gripping contact with the stem of the flower, said annular gripping elements being formed integrally with said neck and having a thickness substantially greater than the walls of said neck, rendering said neck substantially self-sustaining, said elastic grippin elements being displaceable so as to permit the stem of the flower to be inserted in said neck without injuring the stem.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 280,944 Newton July 10, 18-83 408,735 Moore Aug. 13, 1889 482,682 Heartfield Sept. 13, 1892 516,726 Norris Mar. 20, 1894 674,116 Kift May 14, -1

1,437,652 Hammond Dec. 5, 1922 1,572,259 Woods Feb. 9, 1926 ,7 ,490 Talbot Aug. 20, 1929 1,939,204 Conklin Dec. 12, 1933 1,951,777 Siegler Mar. 20, 1934 2,036,845 Young Apr. 7, 1936 2,136,043 De Laney Nov. 8, 1938 2,203,185 Wallus June 4, 1940 2,226,950 Simpson Dec. 31, 1940 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 367,736 Great Britain Feb. 25, 1932' 

